Judge Refuses to Recuse Himself in Abuse Trial
From Times Wire Reports
An Army judge at Ft. Hood refused to step aside for Pfc. Lynndie England’s trial on charges of abusing prisoners in Iraq, saying he was not to blame for her botched guilty plea.
Col. James Pohl rejected an argument by the defense that he asked inappropriate questions of a witness, Pvt. Charles A. Graner Jr., the reputed abuse ringleader.
Graner’s testimony for the defense at England’s sentencing hearing in May contradicted her version of what happened, forcing a mistrial that ended her plea deal and put the case back on track for trial in early August.